Shirlie Alice Montgomery June 9, 1918 – November 5, 2012

Shirlie Alice Montgomery was born on Chapman Street in San Jose on June 9, 1918. She was an only child. To her friends and neighbors she was a treasure trove of history. Shirlie remembered it all. She remembered the Great Depression as a child, the Second World War as a young woman, and eventually the transformation of the Santa Clara Valley from a moderately sized agricultural town to the hustle and bustle of modern Silicon Valley. The majority of her memories were supported by the thousands of photographs in her collection.


She was the surviving grandniece of San Jose’s forefather T.S. Montgomery. Shirlie lived a colorful life but professionally she photographed it with a 4X5 Speed Graphic in B&W. She was a celebrated photographer that shot Hollywood stars, U.S. Presidents and pro wrestlers. Although Shirlie did work for the S. F. Examiner and the San Jose Mercury, her works remain some of the best representations of pro wrestling from the 40’s thru the 60’s. When asked about her penchant for shooting professional wrestlers she would answer “I always liked the big boys.” Such stories Shirlie had!


She will never be forgotten. God rest her soul. (Obituary by Joe Holt, neighbor and friend.)

Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Augustus J. Walsh Drowning on Santa Cruz Beach 1938

On the afternoon of Sunday, July 25th 1938, tragedy struck on Santa Cruz Beach, at the mouth of the San Lorenzo River. A young Augustus J. Walsh got caught by a large breaker and drowned. Walsh was just 22 years old and even though he was a weak swimmer, he had ventured out to offer help to another swimmer. The story made many newspapers (see coverage below from the Santa Cruz Sentinel). Shirlie just happened to be there and caught a couple of photos that made it into the San Jose Mercury Herald. This was before Shirlie had made a name for herself as a  journalistic photographer, so she did not get a byline ... but you have to start somewhere.

These are graphic photos, but Shirlie never shied away from any photo opportunity. To make this more significant, Shirlie was friends with Kenny Gleason, one of the lifeguards. As a side note ... just a day later another dramatic rescue occured at the same place on the beach!


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